From sweet to sour, the most popular cannabis strains in California have flavors to satisfy even the most finicky taste buds. Well-known for its love of cannabis, the sun & surf state has bragging rights of creating some of the top hybrids. If you want to get these products, you need to go to a California dispensary.

The following are some of the most popular marijuana strains. They are loved for their unique tastes, aromas, and most importantly, the quality of their high. If you haven’t already, these are the top must-try California cannabis strains!

Blue Dream

Blue Dream is a California fan-favorite. This top marijuana strain is a Sativa hybrid cross between Blueberry and Haze. It’s generally believed that this berry-flavored cannabis was created in Santa Cruz, California, for medicinal use.

This hybrid offers the user a beautiful ride from an initial boost of energy and focus, to an almost euphoric creative state. From there, you can slide comfortably into a calm warmth that wraps around your mind, body, and soul.

A natural remedy for headaches, pain, nausea, anxiety, and stress. The THC content in this strain ranges between 18 and 25 percent.

Gelato

If you like cookies, you’ll love Gelato, also known as Larry Bird, Gelati, and Gelati. This strain is slightly Indica dominant. A hybrid cross between Sunset Sherbet and Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie, a taste of this will be sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Be prepared when you consume this dessert-like bud, you’ll get a quick hit of mellowing, all-over your body relaxation. The high is cerebral, giving the user a focused calm. Enjoy this strain when working on creative projects. Its relaxing effects can also ease muscle spasms, cramping, chronic pain, headaches, and migraines.

For your mental health, calming qualities can alleviate anxiety, stress, and minor depression. Gelato’s THC level ranges from 18 to 26 percent.

Purple Punch

Another Indica dominant hybrid, Purple Punch, is one of the best California strains. Indulge yourself in its blueberry sweetness. Its parent breeds are Larry OG and Granddaddy Purple. When you consume Purple Punch the high will hit quickly and then blissfully last for hours, with a euphoric, focused high.

Then be ready to settle in for a mild sedative effect that can help relieve any physical pain, anxiety, stress, or insomnia. The THC levels of Purple Punch range from 18 to 22 percent.

Jack Herer

Jack Herer is a highly popular Sativa dominant California hybrid. This top marijuana strain was named after the cannabis activist nicknamed the “Emperor of Hemp,” and author of “The Emperor Wears No Clothes.” It has a citrusy flavor and scent with a spicy overlay.

With a vague history, many believe the strain is a hybrid mix of Shiva Skunk, Northern Lights, and Haze. Initially, this high-quality strain gives you a quick boost of energy. Then your high transforms into a creative euphoria. Great for artists of all types!

Try Jack Herer to relieve anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, chronic pain, and nausea. This strain’s THC level ranges from 18 to 24 percent.

Sour Diesel

Sour Diesel, also known as Sour D, is another Sativa dominant strain. The name comes from its strong diesel-like aroma. Although pungent, in the background, you can taste and smell bright, citrusy tones. Like a diesel, this strain gives you an energizing heady, high with full-body relaxation.

Replace your caffeine jitters with calm energy and feel revitalized and uplifted. One of the most popular marijuana strains, this hybrid has a THC level between 18 and 26 percent.

Gorilla Glue

Gorilla Glue, also known as Gorilla Glue #4, is a west coast legend with a reputation as one of the top California cannabis strains. This Indica dominant strain will give you a full euphoric high, throughout your mind and body.

When consuming this earthy strain, be prepared to stay locked to the couch. With a super high THC of 25 to 30 percent, tread lightly. An excellent choice for the experienced user. Use in moderation to help relieve muscle spasms, chronic pain, and insomnia, and to improve your appetite.

Khalifa Kush

The original Khalifa Kush, also known as Wiz Khalifa OG strain, was specifically created for the rap artist Wiz Khalifa. This strain’s mix of bright lemony and woodsy pine scents creates an uplifting and stimulating feeling. A must-have for creatives, like the rapper himself.

Unfortunately, due to its origin, this hybrid can be difficult to find. If you can get ahold of some of this top marijuana strain, you’ll be treated to a hard-hitting cerebral high. Khalifa Kush’s THC level is on the higher end at 26 to 29 percent.

Find the best California strains at a licensed California dispensary. The dispensaries can help you choose the right strains for your needs. They are also a great place to get all the facts about cannabis and its many uses.

Dark and decadent or rich and creamy, chocolate can ease a sweet tooth and soothe the soul. There are so many ways to consume the delightful flavor. One of our favorite ways to enjoy the rich flavors of chocolate is in a chocolate cake. With every mouthful, you can revel in the sweet richness.

On January 27th, you can indulge without the guilt for National Chocolate Cake Day! It’s a day to be celebrated with all things chocolate cake. Although we don’t know the origin of the holiday, the dessert began in the 1700s when they discovered that grinding cocoa beans produced cocoa powder. From there, inquisitive souls took the cocoa powder and turned it into a worldwide threat.

What could be more delectable than a chocolate cake?

How about a cannabis-infused chocolate cake? It’s as easy as making a regular cake. A simple way to make marijuana edibles is to swap out regular ingredients with cannabis-infused ones, such as oils and butter. Go easy on the amount of marijuana you put in the recipe. A little bit goes a long way.

Cannabis-infused oils and butter are easy to make. Before you can make either, you have to decarboxylate your marijuana, also known as decarbing. This means your weed has to be baked to release the active compounds, including THC and CBD.

To Decarb Your Marijuana:

1. Preheat oven to 220° F
2. Spread about ½ ounce of finely chopped cannabis evenly onto a baking sheet or a glass baking dish
3. Bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent burning
4. The process is done when the buds have turned from a bright green to a darker brownish-green

Here’s a simple cannabis-infused oil or cannabutter recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup water
• 8 ounces melted butter or oil
• ½ ounce decarboxylated marijuana

You’ll also need a medium saucepan, a wooden spoon, a cooking thermometer, cheesecloths, and a container for your cannabutter or cannabis-infused oil.

• Place the water and butter or oil in the medium pan and cook over very low heat
• When the butter has melted, or the oil has heated, add the decarbed weed.
• Mix well and gently simmer for approximately four hours, stirring frequently
• Make sure the mixture doesn’t exceed 180 ° F
• When the mixture has simmered for four hours, remove from heat and carefully strain through the cheesecloth into a container.

For the perfect way to celebrate Chocolate Cake Day, try our cannabis-infused chocolate cake recipe. Top your weed cake with a mouth-watering chocolate buttercream frosting, made with marijuana, of course.
You’ll need a mixing bowl large enough for all the cannabis cake ingredients, and a hand mixer or wooden spoon. For your frosting, you’ll need a medium bowl and a flat knife or spatula. Grease and flour two 9 inch baking pans and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 ° F.

Ingredients for Your Cannabis Cake:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk (warm water or coffee)
• ½ cup cannabis-infused oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water

1. In your large mixing bowl, combine sugar, all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add the eggs to the mixture.
3. Pour in the milk, cannabis-infused oil, and vanilla.
4. Mix all ingredients for two minutes until well-blended.
5. Stir in the boiling water until the butter is smooth and creamy.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
8. Set aside and let cool

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe:

• 1/4 cup softened cannabutter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup of cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup milk

1. In a medium bowl, combine your cannabutter and vanilla.
2. Mix in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and milk until creamy and smooth
3. Add more powdered sugar to thicken or milk to thin out.
4. Once your layers are cool to the touch, gently remove them from the pans. Place one topside down on a plate.
5. Add a layer of frosting. Carefully place the other layer on the frosting. With a flat knife, smooth frosting over the cake. Voila! Your weed cake masterpiece is done!

Known for its love of weed, California has a wide variety of places to obtain quality products. For the best cannabis dispensary, Torrance is the hottest spot for all things marijuana.

Cannabutter sounds like a cleverly branded product you can buy in a Torrance Dispensary. The truth is that it is just the cannabis you will be buying from the dispensary, as cannabutter is something you can make at home. In this recipe, we’re looking at how to make cannabutter. A lot of people will be looking at different cannabutter recipes and wondering what is best for them, as well as how to dose their cannabutter and what it can go in.

Cannabutter isn’t just to go on your toast, it can be the central ingredient of a variety of different edibles recipes. You can bake sweet treats (i.e. a chocolate cake!) or prepare savory meals with cannabutter as a base.

The good news is that making cannabutter isn’t hugely difficult, and anyone can do it. There are a few steps you will need to follow to make sure you don’t get things wrong, though! Cannabutter can easily be done wrong and if you don’t get it right it can lose the cannabis potency and lose the high. This can be an incredible waste and mean that your cannabis butter doesn’t have the effect you are hoping for.

Cannabutter Ingredients

• 1 cup of butter
• 8-10 grams of ground cannabis

And that’s it! There’s not a lot to it. It’s more about the process involved. People may assume from looking at those ingredients that the two are just mixed together, but this is not the case. The way the butter and cannabis are blended together is cleverer than just mixing.

It is also worth saying that if you want to, you can alter the amount of cannabis in the recipe in order to create a better recipe for your own needs. It may be that you have built up a tolerance or if you are new to cannabis you may want to make changes to the amount of ground marijuana within the recipe.

How to Make Cannabis-Infused Butter

The marijuana needs to be decarboxylated. This sounds like a difficult chemical process, but it really isn’t. This is sometimes also called simply “decarbing”. This keeps the cannabis potent and stops it from going inactive or becoming weaker in its potency during the process of heating and making cannabutter. A cannabutter recipe may advise you to do this as part of the process of warming the butter but we do not recommend this.

• Firstly, heat the oven to around 250 degrees F. Place the buds on an oven tray that has been covered with parchment paper. Around half an hour is usually enough for preserving the psychoactive effects. Make sure you move it around to ensure even heating throughout.
• Grind. This will then be decarboxylated cannabis! You can then use this in your recipes, but first, it needs to be ground. Do this in the normal way you use to grind your weed.
• Melt the cup of butter with some water (50:50 ratio is fine). This keeps the temperature stable and improves the quality of the butter when all is finished. Simmer it, there’s no rush and it’s better to prevent scorching.
• Simmer for a long time! 1.5 to 3 hours on a low heat of under 200 degrees F. Make sure you stir it once in a while, but this doesn’t have to be every five minutes or anything!
• Strain. Otherwise, it isn’t going to be smooth. This can be done with a cheesecloth. Pour the mixture through and it should strain out the leftover buds and rough ground cannabis. It’s now ready for you to put in the fridge, and the THC or CBD from the cannabutter recipe will be infused.

As you can see, learning how to make cannabutter is simple enough!

Tips for Dosing Cannabutter

It’s important to get the dose right, you don’t want to get the highest you’ve ever been! Always keep on the side of caution here, rather than throwing loads in.

Once the butter has been prepared, you can test its effects by spreading some on bread or onto a cracker. See what ½ a teaspoon does over the course of an hour to check how potent the butter you have made really is.

How to Cook with Cannabutter?

Knowing how to make cannabutter is great, but you need to know how to use it too! It can act as a substitute for butter in loads of recipes such as sauces or even baking. It can be as simple as putting cannabutter in some icing for a cake! Edibles can be a fantastic way to enjoy your cannabis whether you are new to taking marijuana, whether you’re a medicinal or recreational user.

It’s time to get creative with your cannabutter.

The legalization of cannabis is one of the most heated topics nowadays. And even though many states have legalized both the recreational and medical use of marijuana, the federal government is still unwilling to bend. Nevertheless, despite all these, people are becoming more inclined to consume it.

The rising popularity of marijuana consumption can be attributed to its beneficial effects. It is known as a pain reliever, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-seizure, and antidepressant. Recent studies even reveal the effectiveness of marijuana to lessen the symptoms of insomnia and it even aids in weight loss. Topical use of the plant, specifically cannabis balm, is also gaining global traction as it’s shown to relieve soreness, inflammation, skin problems, and muscle pains.

If you are new to marijuana consumption, it’s normal to feel confused when you first enter a cannabis dispensary and see the variety of consumption options. Researching will help a lot, and you should properly dose. There were numerous tales of overdoing and overdosing, and that may not be the best way to start your marijuana journey.

To get the full benefits of cannabis or have the best experience, you should wisely choose your consumption method. Smoking is not the only way to consume marijuana, methods such as vaping and eating edibles are other alternatives that you can try. When considering your consuming method, pick your personal preference if it’s for recreational or medical use, assess your level of tolerance too.

Another important thing to remember is that marijuana has different strains with effects that may differ from person to person. Thus, aside from the consumption method, marijuana strains will have varying onset times and effectiveness.

Furthermore, as a newbie, it’s good to understand the differences between Sativa and Indica strains. In general, the former produces an energizing and cerebral high, while the latter has more of a sedative and calming effect.

And now, without further ado, the following are the most common marijuana consumption method. 

Smoking

The most popular method of marijuana consumption is smoking. People who smoke marijuana prefer it primarily because they notice an immediate effect as the smoke, which contains marijuana components enters the body. The result—feeling high immediately, however, can wane around 2-3 hours after consumption.

This method is usually done by rolling marijuana into joints and then smoking it. Marijuana can also be smoked using a pipe or a bong.

However, if you are using marijuana to medicate or you want to do it discreetly, then this method may not work for you. Smoking is not good for you especially if you have an underlying condition—as it may aggravate your symptoms and especially if you have the common colds and flu. Although no studies have linked smoking cannabis with lung cancer, long-term use may increase your risk of chronic bronchitis.

If you want to use it or medicate discreetly, you may opt to consume edibles, patches, and tinctures. 

Vaping

Another popular consumption method is vaping. And just like smoking, the effects of vaping can also kick in instantly—but wears off faster.

Vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking cannabis as vaporizers don’t produce smoke. Vaporizers heat cannabis to a point below combustion. The active ingredient of marijuana can then be inhaled as a vapor. Thus, cannabis vapor won’t irritate the lungs compared to smoking where toxic compounds can cause undesirable health issues.

Common vaporizer types are pens, hand-held versions, and desktop versions.

Dabbing

Dabbing is not smoking, but it is similar to vaping.

Dabbing uses THC resins extracted from the marijuana plant. It has three types of concentrated forms: oil (hash oil or honey oil form), soft solid (wax or budder form), and harsh solid (shatter form).

Dabbing usually uses a glass pipe, a bong, and other gadgets such as a blow torch and rig. When the THC resin extract is placed into the pipe or bong, it instantly creates vapor. Thus, dabbing creates an immediate and more potent high compared to smoking and vaping.

Since cannabis concentrate is more potent, dabbing is not recommended for newbies or those with low THC tolerance. Another drawback of dabbing is that users may be exposed to high levels of benzene, methacrolein, and other toxic substances.

Eating

Edibles are also becoming a common method of consuming marijuana. Eating edibles are not only convenient, but it also creates a long-lasting effect (and even practical to some as it also soothes hunger). There are many marijuana-infused edibles available in the market nowadays like cakes, cookies, candies, and pastries.

Oils extracted from the cannabis plant are also being used now in cooking, baking, and other products that can be ingested orally. Capsules are also a convenient, yet potent way to consume marijuana.

Drinking

Last, but definitely not least, is consuming marijuana by drinking it. At present, you can now consume marijuana in tea form, coffee-infused, beer, and in tinctures.

By far, cannabis-infused tea is the healthiest way of consuming marijuana. You can get the most benefit out of the plant by steeping it and drinking freshly brewed.

Tinctures

Tinctures are also a great way to consume marijuana. Tinctures are extracts that are infused with a solution of alcohol and water. A few drops of the solution can be easily absorbed by the bloodstream. This form is highly concentrated so you can expect a more potent and fast-acting effect.